06/11/06 07:32 - 62ºF - ID#23062
brrrrr!
here are the two tables, wish i had before and after pics.
and the flower pots.
and here are the baby birds that are nesting on our patio. you have no idea how much they eat!
and here is where we will be having a pool party in august.
Permalink: brrrrr_.html
Words: 103
Location: Buffalo, NY
06/09/06 02:46 - 66ºF - ID#23061
bpo
i never knew that joanne falletta was one of only two female orchestral conductors in the world!!
more stories of my crazy kid.
couple of days ago i get a call from her social studies teacher saying that faben recorded her lecture on some kind of recording device and that she did not appreciate being recorded in any way, shape or form.
when faben gets home i ask her what she was doing and she proceeds to tell me that the class was misbehaving and the teacher yelled at them asking why can't they just behave themselves.
so faben took it upon herself to tell the teacher that if her class wasnt so boring, maybe they would behave better. she says to the teacher that maybe if she gave them projects to do instead of worksheets and constant lectures then theyd be more interested in the class.
the teacher then started to cry! (this is the second time this year she cried in front of the class)
so when she had her break down, faben recorded her on her mp3 player and played it to other kids after class ended.
evil little monster. gotta give her credit for at least telling the truth.
my fucking headaches are killing me.
Permalink: bpo.html
Words: 217
Location: Buffalo, NY
06/03/06 02:12 - 60ºF - ID#23060
Nordic Paradise?
The Nordic model
by Stein Kuhnle
In comparison with the rest of Europe, the Nordic general welfare states share twelve fairly distinct characteristics which, taken together, may be regarded as a specifically Nordic "model". Those characteristics are:
1. A greater degree of active state involvement than in other countries. For example, the state guarantees basic pensions and free or heavily subsidised health services for all residents, although the delivery of such services is usually administered by provincial or local governments.
2. By international standards, the greatest proportion of the labour force employed in the social, health and educational sectors-- roughly thirty percent.
3. Heavy reliance on the public sector for the provision of social and educational services; roughly ninety percent of all personnel in those sectors are public employees. The corresponding figures for other European countries range from 40-80 percent; in the U.S., the figure is 45 percent.
4. The organization of social insurance within co-ordinated national systems which have overall responsibility for basic pensions, sick-leave benefits, child allowances and health services.
5. A comparatively high level of trust between citizens and governments. Nordic societies are more "state-friendly" than other European societies.
6. Comprehensive, or universal, social insurance systems which cover entire populations or sub-groups. For example: every resident is entitled to a basic old-age pension upon attaining retirement age, even in the absence of any history of gainful employment; child allowances are allocated to all families with children, regardless of income level; all residents are entitled to the best available medical services, irrespective of income, social status or other personal characteristics. This contrasts with most other European countries, where entitlement is conditional on successful participation in the labour market.
7. An advanced level of gender equality, especially as a result of legislation since the 1970s; essentially all benefits are "gender-neutral", in that women are treated as individuals with needs and rights of their own, rather than as merely wives and mothers. Nordic labour markets are characterised by high rates of female employment, nearly-equal incomes for men and women in comparable occupations, and a well-developed support system for working mothers.
8. Social insurance systems free of class or occupational bias. Those with high incomes are included in the same system as those with low or no incomes.
9. General taxation as the principal means of financing, which has the effect of redistributing income. As a result of the Nordic countries' universal, redistributive social insurance systems, their poverty rates are among the lowest in the world. Minimum pensions are not especially high, but generous in comparison with those of most other countries.
10. A greater emphasis on providing services, as opposed to direct income transfers, than in other European countries. Those services include an extensive network of child-care centres, old-age homes, and in-home assistance for the severely ill and the elderly.
11. A traditionally strong emphasis on full employment as a goal in itself, and as a prerequisite for generating the necessary economic resources for the general welfare state.
12. Strong popular support. Such issues as children's well-being, public health, old-age care, etc., are consistently accorded the highest priority in opinion surveys and during elections. No political party seeking broad support can afford to ignore them.
I have taken the liberty to compile a few statistics comparing the United States with some of the Nordic states. The results are quite interesting.
All stats are from NationMaster, World Statistics Country Comparison, who compile stats from various sources such as The United Nations, WHO, and other governmenal organizations.
Total taxation as % of GDP by country
Sweden 54.2 % of GDP
Denmark 48.8 % of GDP
Finland 46.9 % of GDP
Norway 40.3 % of GDP
United States 29.6 % of GDP
Personal income tax by country
Denmark 53.2%
United States 37.7%
Finland 31.2%
Sweden 30.4%
Norway 24.8%
Personal income tax by country
DEFINITION: Property tax as a percentage of total tax collected by the country. Data is for 2000.
United States 10.1%
Sweden 3.4%
Denmark 3.3%
Finland 2.5%
Norway 2.4%
Taxation Statistics >Contribution by middle 40% by country
DEFINITION: Proportion of taxes paid by the broad income group - middle class 40% (Data is for mid-1990s). Taxes include all direct income taxes, including employee social security contributions. Income groups were built on the basis of final disposable adjusted income.
Denmark 37.2%
Norway 36.1%
Sweden 35.8%
Finland 33.4%
United States 28.4%
Social security >Employees contribution by country
DEFINITION: Tax on employee's contribution of social security as a percentage of total tax collected by the country. Data is for 2002.
United States 11.7%
Norway 7.7%
Sweden 5.8%
Finland 4.7%
Denmark 2.7%
Social security > Contribution by employer by country
DEFINITION: Tax on employer's contribution of social security as a percentage of total tax collected by the country. Data is for 2002.
Sweden 24.3%
Finland 20.0%
Norway 13.7%
United States 13.0%
Denmark 0.7%
Church attendance by country
United States 44%
Norway 5%
Denmark 5%
Finland 4%
Sweden 4%
Disabled persons employment by country
Norway 72%
Sweden 69%
Denmark 61%
Finland 59%
United States 58%
Disbility benefit recipients by country
Norway 9.2%
Sweden 8.2%
Denmark 7.7%
United States 4.7%
Obesity by country
United States 30.6%
Finland 12.8%
Sweden 9.7%
Denmark 9.5%
Norway 8.3%
McDonalds restaurants (per capita) by country
United States 0.433 per 10,000 population
Sweden 0.252 per 10,000 population
Denmark 0.182 per 10,000 population
Finland 0.178 per 10,000 population
Norway 0.12 per 10,000 population
Military Statistics > Expenditures > Dollar figure (per $ GDP) by country
United States $0.24 per $10 of GDP
Sweden $0.13 per $10 of GDP
Norway $0.12 per $10 of GDP
Denmark $0.10 per $10 of GDP
Finland $0.10 per $10 of GDP
Lifestyle Statistics > Happiness level > Not very or not at all happy by country
United States 8%
Finland 8%
Norway 6%
Denmark 5%
Sweden 4%
Lifestyle Statistics > Very proud of their nationality by country
United States 77%
Norway 48%
Finland 44%
Sweden 43%
Denmark 42%
Lifestyle Statistics > Will fight for country by country
Norway 90%
Sweden 90%
Denmark 89%
Finland 86%
United States 78%
Labor Statistics > Employment rate of highly educated women by country
Denmark 88.7%
Sweden 87.8%
Norway 87.3%
Finland 84.8%
United States 81.9%
Labor Statistics > Female doctors by country
Finland 50.7%
Sweden 39.2%
Norway 37.2%
Denmark 27.0%
United States 23.1%
Labor Statistics > Unemployment by country
Finland 9.5%
United States 5.0%
Denmark 4.8%
Sweden 4.4%
Norway 3.5%
Labor Statistics > Unemployment benefit as % of GDP by country
Denmark 3.4 % of GDP
Finland 2.6 % of GDP
Sweden 1.9 % of GDP
Norway 0.5 % of GDP
United States 0.2 % of GDP
Labor Statistics > Working mothers by country
Sweden 76
Denmark 74
Norway 73
United States 61
Finland 59
Health Statistics > Births by caesarean section by country
United States 211 live births per 1,000 pe
Finland 157 live births per 1,000 pe
Denmark 145 live births per 1,000 pe
Sweden 144 live births per 1,000 pe
Norway 137 live births per 1,000 pe
Health Statistics > Child maltreatment deaths by country
United States 2.2 per 100,000 children
Finland 0.7 per 100,000 children
Denmark 0.7 per 100,000 children
Sweden 0.5 per 100,000 children
Norway 0.3 per 100,000 children
Health Statistics > Out-of-pocket expenditure as % of private
health expenditure by country
Sweden 100%
Norway 97.2%
Denmark 89.8%
Finland 82.2%
United States 25.4%
Literacy > Adults at high literacy level by country
Sweden 35.5%
Norway 29.4%
Denmark 25.4%
Finland 25.1%
United States 19.0%
Proportion of primary education time spent learning foreign languages by country
Denmark 10
Finland 9
Norway 16
Sweden 12
United States 7
Public spending per student > Tertiary level by country
Denmark 65.1
Sweden 53.5
Norway 46.5
Finland 39.7
United States 23.9
Child poverty by country
United States 22.4
Denmark 5.1
Finland 4.3
Norway 3.9
Sweden 2.6
Distribution of family income > Gini index by country
DEFINITION: This index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from the poorest to the rich
United States 45.0
Norway 25.8
Finland 25.6
Sweden 25.0
Denmark 24.7
Income distribution > Poorest 10% by country
DEFINITION: Share of income or consumption (%). The distribution of income is typically more unequal than the distribution of consumption.
Finland 4.2%
Norway 4.1%
Sweden 3.7%
Denmark 3.6%
United States 1.8%
Income distribution > Richest 10% by country
DEFINITION: Share of income or consumption (%). The distribution of income is typically more unequal than the distribution of consumption.
United States 30.5%
Norway 21.8%
Finland 21.6%
Denmark 20.5%
Sweden 20.1%
Population below median income by country
DEFINITION: Population living below 50% of median income (%)
United States 17.0
Denmark 9.2
Norway 6.9
Sweden 6.6
Finland 5.4
Aid to Afghanistan > Total development aid, estimates (per $ GDP) by country
Norway $457.44 per $10,000 of GDP
Denmark $284.43 per $10,000 of GDP
Sweden $229.73 per $10,000 of GDP
Finland $160.62 per $10,000 of GDP
United States $71.51 per $10,000 of GDP
Funds committed to Tsunami aid (per $ GDP) by country
Norway 0.076 per $100
Sweden 0.034 per $100
Finland 0.029 per $100
Denmark 0.024 per $100
United States 0.007 per $100
Funds pledged by NGOs and public (per $ GDP) by country (Tsunami)
Norway $490,710.00 per $1 billion
Sweden $282,694.00 per $1 billion
Denmark $206,422.00 per $1 billion
Finland $151,455.00 per $1 billion
United States $55,574.50 per $1 billion
Parliamentary seats > Female by country
Sweden 43%
Finland 37%
Norway 36%
United States 13%
Parliamentary elections > Registered voter turnout by country
DEFINITION: The proportion of registered voters who actually voted.
Denmark 87.1%
Sweden 80.1%
Norway 75.1%
Finland 65.3%
United States 63.8%
Assaults (per capita) by country
United States 7.56923 per 1,000 people
Finland 5.32644 per 1,000 people
Norway 3.2064 per 1,000 people
Denmark 1.80339 per 1,000 people
Rapes (per capita) by country
United States 0.301318 per 1,000 people
Norway 0.120836 per 1,000 people
Finland 0.110856 per 1,000 people
Denmark 0.0914948 per 1,000 people
Murders (per capita) by country
United States 0.042802 per 1,000 people
Finland 0.0283362 per 1,000 people
Denmark 0.0106775 per 1,000 people
Norway 0.0106684 per 1,000 people
Permalink: Nordic_Paradise_.html
Words: 1503
Location: Buffalo, NY
06/01/06 07:05 - 68ºF - ID#23059
success
finally
it's done
we were able to get it on VHS and send it off overnight. $42 for fedex!
keep your toes crossed for us!
Permalink: success.html
Words: 25
Location: Buffalo, NY
05/31/06 04:01 - 75ºF - ID#23058
MAJOR DISTRESS CALL!!!!!!
we were so close! but unfortunately we cannot get the movie onto a VHS tape!
we used s video cord to get it onto a tv, but somehow we are unable to get the VCR to record the footage.
SO WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
this has to be sent out tomorrow, is there anyone who would be able to record this file onto a vhs tape for us? i can send you the file, its about 35MB.
PLEASE HELP!! if i win the million bucks i will personaly give 10,000 to the person who helps us, i swear!
you can view it on youtube here
when it starts, press pause and let it load first, that way you can watch it without it stopping while it loads.
Permalink: MAJOR_DISTRESS_CALL_.html
Words: 171
Location: Buffalo, NY
05/30/06 08:30 - 73ºF - ID#23057
Hot ass niagara!
we drove there in (e:nejifer) 's convertible and were extra, extra, supa, dupa, fly, looking like movie stars, until we got out of the car and our hair wais fucked to high hell and our faces were melting off.
we ran around the falls like mad women, while pretending we were pirates, flamenco dancers, bull fighters, babkas's and muslim women. you might get to see it in the footage if we can work out the technical difficulties.
out secret project that we set out to do might get finished today and when it is, we will try to post it somewhere.
here is a photo of (e:ladycroft) and i, in the secret garden
and here is (e:ladycroft) looking very virginal while thinking very, very dirty thoughts! (better not be about my secret lover, jared leto!)
and here she is a la grace kelley style.
last one, lc and (e:nejifer) the beauties that they are!
Permalink: Hot_ass_niagara_.html
Words: 210
Location: Buffalo, NY
05/24/06 07:10 - 62ºF - ID#23056
car accident
luckily we got her plates and called it into the police department, but they wont do anything unless the person who's car was hit, calls them first!
we were in a hurry back to work so we could not leave a note either.
if anyone knows someone who's car was parked on elmwood at cleveland at about 3pm and got two huge dents and scratches, let me know. the hit car was a beige plymouth breeze. it had a car seat in the back.
the chick drove a black hondaish car with the plates
BEN 5077
i hate shitty people!
Permalink: car_accident.html
Words: 166
Location: Buffalo, NY
05/23/06 10:05 - 53ºF - ID#23055
this day keeps getting better and better
when i called back, she greeted me with the news that our mutual friend working here in the states from germany, was arrested for vehicular homicide. he killed a 33 year old father of 3 while driving drunk. slammed right into his car when he crossed the double yellow line. he himself has two children who live in europe.
his company posted bond at $100,000. but there is no getting around anything here. he will be doing a minimum of eight years. we are devistated. for the man who lost his life. for his children, and for the stupid choices my friend made and for his grim future. you can read the news here
Permalink: this_day_keeps_getting_better_and_better.html
Words: 168
Location: Buffalo, NY
05/23/06 08:42 - 43ºF - ID#23054
oh my bleeding hand (for real, for real)
luckily she is ok, and only has a surface cut. i asked the principal if she cried when this happened (i seriously doubted she would show any emotion) and she said she was not upset at all and was only fascinated by her bleeding hand.
we have an appointment with the psychiatrist for the asperger evaluation on june 5th.
Permalink: oh_my_bleeding_hand_for_real_for_real_.html
Words: 111
Location: Buffalo, NY
05/21/06 10:40 - 46ºF - ID#23053
i love the 90's
Permalink: i_love_the_90_s.html
Words: 41
Location: Buffalo, NY
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Pool party? Yay!!